I let myself linger in the doorway of their playroom, my eyes drinking in every detail, from the faint crease of worry on Fiona’s brow when Skye nearly trips over her own laces to the way she comforts Amber when she tells Fiona how much she’s missed her.
When Fiona finally looks up, her eyes meet mine for a fraction of a second, and I see nothing but gratitude in them.
I offer the smallest nod in return, grateful to be able to be a part of such a special moment. I hope she can have a thousand more like it, and in order to do so, I decide to stalk down the hall toward the kitchen to have a little word with Joe.
I find him sitting at the table, hunched over piles of paperwork with an empty pot of coffee perched on one of them and what looks like an empty rocks glass beside him.
“Need a refill?”
His head snaps up, and the moment he locks eyes with me, his lips pull back from his teeth in an ugly sneer.
He looks older than I imagined, his dark hair streaked with gray and deep purple bruising beneath his eyes.
“Get the fuck out of my house,” he snarls.
I tuck my hands into my pockets. “You’re looking a bit stressed, Joe. If I were a better guest, I would have brought a bottle of the good stuff. Then again, you can afford a decent bottle of liquor. Or so I’ve been told.”
Joe is on his feet in an instant, but I hold up a hand.
“I’d stop right there if I were you.”
“Or what? Gonna call your dogs on me, Sullivan?”
“I could. But your daughters probably still see you as a hero. And while I think you’re more worthless than dog shit, I believe in protecting a child’s innocence as long as possible.”
“Don’t youdaretalk about my kids.”
“That’s out of my hands when you decided to choose money over their childhood.”
“Fuck you, Sullivan.”
I take a step closer and let the mask slip just enough for him to realize who he’s dealing with. “You’re lucky to have someone like Fiona in your daughters’ lives.”
The sound of Skye and Amber’s laughter trickles down the hall, stealing Joe’s attention for a split second, so I take the opportunity to grab him by the neck.
“I’d be careful how you talk to her. Or me, for that matter. She’s a hell of a lot more forgiving than I am.”
His hands grip my wrists as he struggles to choke down air. “Sure about that?” he gasps. “After what she?—”
“You and I both know mistakes happen.”
“This isn’t just any mistake.”
I squeeze his neck a little harder. “Do we really want to talk about mistakes?”
His eyes widen a fraction as I step closer, letting him see just how easy it would be for me to end his life with my bare hands.
He reaks of stale cigarettes and beer, and I swallow the bile that burns my throat.
Those girls deserve a hell of a lot better than him. “Fiona is the most loving and loyal woman I’ve ever met, and you would be a fucking fool to keep clinging on to this grudge you have against her. You would do well to remember the cost of betraying someone under my protection. And that protection extends to your daughters,” I add before releasing my hold on him.
Joe staggers backward as he clutches his neck, spit spraying everywhere as he tries to catch his breath.
“I don’t need to remind you what I could do if anyone endangered them or tried to manipulate them. I can make someone vanish into nothing. That’s not a threat. That’s a fact. So, I suggest that you let the past go and let Fiona back into Amber and Skye’s lives. For your girls’ sake, if nothing else.”
The silence stretches between us as Joe considers my warning.
The unspoken implication is clear. If he crosses me, there will be consequences.
